The White-Board: Serials Tabula Rasa |
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| Authors: | James Caudwell |
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| Institution: | 1. University of Cambridge , Cambridge, UK james.caudwell@cam.ac.uk |
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| Abstract: | This article considers the status of the helpdesk in the current context of management within libraries of the global economic downturn. It considers the centrality of the helpdesk to the e-resources and e-serials service offering of libraries and the factors that may affect a decrease or increase for its continued support. An overview is provided of the most recent research and developments in understanding user behavior as they relate to the virtual helpdesk together with lessons learned from the overlapping fields of e-reference, access queries and IT-related help. This leads to a discussion of the appropriateness of established means of communication for resolving helpdesk queries and how they mesh with the emerging user-demand for next generation/Web2 technologies when interacting with library services of all kinds. Questions are raised around the informing of helpdesk services by users' expectations for a more active and “collaborative” engagement with their experience of library use. Finally, a survey is made of current issues in back-office support for and improvement of helpdesk services, including their staffing. |
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| Keywords: | virtual helpdesks Question Point e-resource access queries Q& A pairs knowledge bases virtual reference virtual reality gaming |
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